The Zenfone 11 Ultra is dividing opinions: is it a technological masterpiece or a device with missed opportunities? The Zenfone 11 Ultra from Asus is caught between impressive performance and disappointing updates. But what exactly can the new smartphone from Asus do? In this article, let's take a closer look at the Zenfone 11 Ultra and examine its strengths and weaknesses.
Stylish and modern with subtle line pattern
The Zenfone 11 Ultra features an elegant design and is available in black, blue, grey and orange. The selection offers users stylish options with pale, dark tones. The subtle, slanted line pattern that runs from the bottom to the middle is unique, giving the smartphone a special texture and a characteristic look.
The Zenfone 11 Ultra offers a triple camera setup on the back with a 50MP main camera, a 32MP telephoto camera, and a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera. However, the left-side camera layout might cause the phone to wobble on the table when touched.
Delivery scope: No charger but protective case included
When you look at the Zenfone 11 Ultra, you'll notice that there is no charger included, just a cable. Unfortunately, this is a growing trend among smartphone manufacturers. They justify this by saying it's about reducing unnecessary environmental costs. But this approach seems a bit dubious. What if you need a new charger? Do you have to buy it separately? An optional choice before buying would be better in my opinion.
One positive thing to mention is that a protective case is included in the delivery. This protects the device from accidental drops in everyday life.
Vivid display with punch hole
The Zenfone 11 Ultra impresses with its lively Full HD AMOLED display and an adaptive 144 Hz refresh rate. This not only ensures smooth image transitions, but also saves battery life, at least in theory. With a proud weight of 224 grams, it is not a lightweight and is one of the heavier smartphones. The front camera impresses with a 32 MP resolution and a f/2.5 aperture and is therefore also suitable for wide shots.
Zenfone 11 Ultra: Farewell to the compact smartphone
When comparing the display sizes, it is noticeable that the Zenfone 11 Ultra has grown significantly at 6.78 inches compared to the 5.9 inches of the previous model. This jump shows the trend towards larger smartphone displays.
Marquess Brownlee has appropriately one of his videos dealt with this trend. He mentions that manufacturers like Samsung and Apple tried to experiment with smaller "mini" versions of their flagships, but these met with little interest. Interestingly, the Asus Zenfone 9 and 10 were some of the last compact flagship smartphones on the market. With the transition to the Zenfone 11 Ultra and its sizeable 6.8-inch display, Asus is now following the trend towards larger devices.
Decent battery with solid charging
The Zenfone 11 Ultra offers a robust 5500 mAh battery, supported by 65 watts fast charging, 15 watts wireless charging and 10 watts reverse wireless charging. Although 65 watts may seem less impressive compared to high-end competitors like Xiaomi or OnePlus, 65 watts still proves to be more than sufficient for everyday use.This allows charging from 0 to 100% in just 40 minutes.
Powerful performance with plenty of memory
The heart of the Zenfone 11 Ultra is the Snapdragon 8 Gen3 octa-core processor with a clock speed of 3.3 GHz, which ensures top performance for demanding applications and games. Users can choose between two powerful memory variants: 16 GB RAM with 512 GB storage space or a smaller variant with 12 GB RAM with 256 GB; there is no additional memory expansion.
Waterproof, dustproof and with a jack socket – a smartphone for all occasions?
The Zenfone 11 Ultra has an IP-68 certification and is protected against dust and water, making it ideal for adventure seekers. I was pleasantly surprised by the built-in 3.5 mm jack socket. It is a rare feature, especially in the high-end sector, as many manufacturers do without the jack socket altogether. I like that Asus pays attention to such details and implements them in the 11 Ultra.
AI functions: A trend that doesn't stop at Asus
AI features are the upcoming trend in the smartphone market and the Zenfone 11 Ultra is of course part of this. Thanks to semantic search, real-time translation, dynamic wallpaper and noise cancellation, it enables a personalized user experience that facilitates communication and increases productivity.
Android Updates: Only two years of Android updates – a step backwards compared to the competition
The Zenfone 11 Ultra comes with Android 14, but brings with it a disappointment in terms of update policy: It only receives two years of Android updates. Compared to the competition, some of which offer up to seven years of updates, the Zenfone 11 Ultra falls significantly behind here. For a high-end device in this price segment, a longer update guarantee would be desirable. This longer update guarantee can extend the life of a smartphone without having to spend so much money every few years.
Chip and The Verge: What do the reviewers say?
At first glance, the Zenfone 11 Ultra offers a decent overall package, but what do the reviewers say about the smartphone? We have summarized the highlights from the smartphone tests by The Verge and Chip.
The Verge
highlights:
- Excellent battery life of up to 2 days
- Very powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, smooth multitasking capabilities
- High-quality OLED display with up to 144Hz refresh rate
- Classic headphone jack available
- Waterproof according to IP68 certification
points of criticism:
- Inconsistent camera performance with partially overexposed photos
- Very heavy and unwieldy, slips easily out of the pocket
- Only 2 years of system updates, which is disappointing for the price
chip
Highlights:
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that is even faster than the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro
- Very smooth and jerk-free operation in everyday life and when playing games
- Classic headphone jack available
- High display quality with 6.8 inches, Full HD+ resolution, rich colors and high brightness of up to 2500 nits
- Good camera performance, especially when zooming and taking night shots, successful video stabilization
Criticisms:
- Only 2 years of Android update promise, which is disappointing for the price
- Camera performance not quite on par with other top models, missing details and realistic colors
- Battery life of 17 hours at 60Hz, at 120Hz only 3.5 hours
Conclusion: Should I buy the Zenfone 11 Ultra? Highlights and criticisms overview
The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra polarizes with its outstanding features and some shortcomings. Its modern and elegant design is accompanied by a high-quality display with an adaptive 144 Hz refresh rate. The camera is versatile and the battery life is impressive. The Snapdragon 8 Gen3 processor ensures strong performance. However, the lack of a charger in the box and the limited update guarantee of only 2 years for Android are critical points.
Overall, the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra offers an interesting option, but potential buyers should carefully consider the highlights and criticisms before deciding to purchase.
Highlights of the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra:
- Elegant design and high-quality workmanship
- Vivid and adaptive display
- Impressive camera with versatile features
- Robust battery with fast charging
- Powerful processor and AI functions
- IP-68 protection class and 3.5 mm jack socket
Criticisms of the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra:
- Missing charger included in delivery
- Limited update guarantee of only 2 years for Android
- Inconsistent camera performance
- Heavy and unwieldy construction
